'Yes she can!': Obamas endorse Kamala Harris - as Barack warns a Trump ‘sequel’ would be worse
21 August 2024, 06:06 | Updated: 23 August 2024, 07:17
Barack and Michelle Obama have called on Democrats to embrace Kamala Harris, warning that a Donald Trump 'sequel' could spell disaster for the United States.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
“It’s good to be home!” Barack Obama announced as he took to the stage in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday night.
"Make no mistake, it will be a fight," the former President warned, as he took to the stage on day two of the Democratic National Convention.
It followed a rousing speech from wife Michelle, the former First Lady of the United States, who took to the stage before her husband to emphasise that a Trump "sequel" did not bode well for the future of the country.
Cheers erupted as the couple shared a warm embrace on stage, before Mr Obama, 67, insisted "we don't need four more years of bluster and chaos."
Labelling Mr Trump "a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago," the former President painted a bleak picture of a second Trump premiership.
It follows a poignant - and at times emotional - speech delivered by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, telling Americans to "preserve democracy" in his tearful farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Mr Obama was quick to heap praise on his former Vice President, Joe Biden, following his decision to withdraw his candidacy for a second term, as a a wall of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend," Mr Obama said with a nod.
However, the former President was quick to warn "this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country."
Describing Trump's road to the White House, Mr Obama said: "It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually gotten worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala."
Adding: "We don't need four more years of bluster and chaos. We've seen that movie - and we all know that the sequel's usually worse."
"For all the incredible energy we've been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country - a country where too many Americans are still struggling and don't believe government can help," Mr Obama said.
"History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger," Mr Obama said as the crowd chanted, "Thank you, Joe."
Former first lady Michelle Obama told the convention "something wonderfully magical is in the air".
"It's the contagious power of hope," she said. "America, hope is making a comeback."
She tore into Mr Trump, who has long attacked the first black president and first lady, before harkening back to a recent comment the Republican nominee made about preserving so-called "black jobs."
"His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black," he said.
"Who's going to tell him that the job he's seeking might be one of those 'black jobs'?"
